By Scott Harvey
Paris – A guilty plea is again entered in a Paris sexual assault case, but a significantly less punishment is handed down.
Aaron Hart is the mentally challenged teenager who was sentenced back in 2009 to 100 years in prison after being found guilty in his first trial.
The decision by Judge Eric Clifford to stack the five sentences, rather than have them run concurrently, drew criticism. On Wednesday, 6th District Senior Judge Wedd Biard sentenced Hart to ten years in prison. He'll also have to register as a sex offender the remainder of his life.
Reports indicate Hart, who was 19-years-old in 2009, had a mental capacity of no more than a six-year-old and an IQ of 47. In 2010, the verdict was overturned by the 6th Court of Appeals, stating counsel failed to consider Hart's diminished mental capacity as a defense; among other claims.